Anna Quindlen Quotes

A collection of quotes by Anna Quindlen.

Anna Quindlen is an accomplished American author, journalist, and opinion columnist. She was born on July 8, 1952, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Quindlen attended Barnard College, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Journalism.

After completing her studies, Quindlen started her career as a journalist at The New York Post. She then joined The New York Times, where she worked from 1977 to 1994. During her time at The New York Times, she held various positions, including columnist and deputy metropolitan editor. Quindlen became renowned for her insightful and thought-provoking writing, covering a wide range of topics such as politics, gender issues, and family.

Quindlen's remarkable talent did not go unnoticed, and in 1992 she received the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary. Her career took another turn when she transitioned into fiction writing. She published her first novel, "Object Lessons," in 1991, followed by a series of successful books including "One True Thing," "Black and Blue," and "Every Last One." Her works often delve into the complexities of modern family life and the struggles of women within society.

Besides being an accomplished writer, Quindlen is also an influential figure in social activism. She has been an advocate for women's rights, education, and various other social causes. Her works have resonated with readers from all walks of life, and her ability to capture the essence of human experiences has made her a beloved and respected literary figure.

One of the useful things about age is realizing conventional

One of the useful things about age is realizing conventional wisdom is often simply inertia with a candy coating of conformity.

Wisdom Life Conformity

[I]t is the glory of London that it is always ending and beg

[I]t is the glory of London that it is always ending and beginning anew, and that a visitor, with a good eye and indefatigable feet, will find in her travels all the Londons she has ever met in the pages of books, one atop the other, like the strata of the Earth.

Life History Cities London Renewal Circle Of Life City Life Fictional London Literary London Metropolis

Life is not so much about beginnings and endings as it is ab

Life is not so much about beginnings and endings as it is about going on and on and on. It is about muddling through the middle.

The greatest public health threat for many American women is

The greatest public health threat for many American women is the men they live with.

The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving

The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.

The victim mentality may be the last uncomplicated thing abo

The victim mentality may be the last uncomplicated thing about life in America.

I will never understand people who think that the way to sho

I will never understand people who think that the way to show their righteous opposition to sexual freedom is to write letters full of filthy words.

In the family sandwich, the older people and the younger one

In the family sandwich, the older people and the younger ones can recognize one another as the bread. Those in the middle are, for a time, the meat.

Ideas are only lethal if you suppress and don't discuss them

Ideas are only lethal if you suppress and don't discuss them. Ignorance is not bliss, it's stupid. Banning books shows you don't trust your kids to think and you don't trust yourself to be able to talk to them.

I realized that, while I would never be my mother nor have h

I realized that, while I would never be my mother nor have her life, the lesson she had left me was that it was possible to love and care for a man and still have at your core a strength so great that you never even needed to put it on display.

I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kin

I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves.

The future is built on brains, not prom court, as most peopl

The future is built on brains, not prom court, as most people can tell you after attending their high school reunion. But you'd never know it by talking to kids or listening to the messages they get from the culture and even from their schools.

I read and walked for miles at night along the beach, writin

I read and walked for miles at night along the beach, writing bad blank verse and searching endlessly for someone wonderful who would step out of the darkness and change my life. It never crossed my mind that that person could be me.

I'm sure not afraid of success and I've learned not to be af

I'm sure not afraid of success and I've learned not to be afraid of failure. The only thing I'm afraid of now is of being someone I don't like much.

People always blame the girl she should have said no. A mono

People always blame the girl she should have said no. A monosyllable, but conventional wisdom has always been that boys can't manage it.

In this busy world, we should never be a stranger to love an

In this busy world, we should never be a stranger to love and compassion. It is the fertile soil in the garden of peace.

The clearest explanation for the failure of any marriage is

The clearest explanation for the failure of any marriage is that the two people are incompatible that is, that one is male and the other female.

Children should have enough freedom to be themselves - once

Children should have enough freedom to be themselves - once they've learned the rules.

There is little premium in poetry in a world that thinks of

There is little premium in poetry in a world that thinks of Pound and Whitman as a weight and a sampler, not an Ezra, a Walt, a thing of beauty, a joy forever.

After all those years as a woman hearing 'not thin enough, n

After all those years as a woman hearing 'not thin enough, not pretty enough, not smart enough, not this enough, not that enough,' almost overnight I woke up one morning and thought, 'I'm enough.'